Officials with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office announced Feb. 13 the dismissal of 17 charges in a lawsuit against eight former Houston Police Department officers associated with a 2019 narcotics raid.
What happened
District Attorney Sean Teare said in a news release the decision was made after a thorough review of facts that demonstrated what he called insufficient evidence to prove the crimes were committed beyond a reasonable doubt.
“Nothing about these dismissals changes the fact that the Harding Street raid should have never happened. As the chief law enforcement officer of Harris County, I want people to know that we remain steadfast in our commitment to uncovering and addressing corruption wherever it may be found, but we will always be guided by the facts, not politics,” Teare said.
The background
Over the span of nearly five years, close to $3 million in legal service contracts were approved by Houston City Council to represent the city of Houston in the lawsuit. Legal services approved between the city and Beck Redden LLP included:
- A maximum contract of $1.25 million approved in April 2021
- An amendment to the contract in January 2024 by an increased amount of $1.7 million
According to prior reporting, the incident led to the deaths of a Southeast Houston couple, Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas, and ultimately the indictments of several Houston Police officers. An internal investigation determined the no-knock raid that killed the couple was based on faulty evidence and resulted in a sweeping audit of the Houston Police Department’s narcotics division.
Gerald Goines, former officer and the lead narcotics officer on the case, was charged with falsifying documents and, last October, was convicted of felony murder for his role and sentenced to 60 years in prison, according to Community Impact partner ABC 13.
“These officers and their families have endured four years of hardship, forced to live under a cloud of suspicion and accusations of corruption. Despite the lack of evidence, they were subjected to an investigation designed to wrongfully link them to the very real, heinous crimes committed by Gerald Goines,” Teare said.
